Practice

The winter holidays are notorious for causing increases in trips to the emergency room. With hospitals already congested (again) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s likely patients who slice a finger open while carving a roast, eat a questionable clam, or just have an ordinary sore throat will opt to visit an urgent care center instead of the ED. If you’ve done a good job in marketing your center, they’ll probably just hop in the …

Federal, state, and local health officials have urged Americans to alter their winter holiday traditions by limiting exposure to friends and family they don’t typically spend time with, in order to keep a lid on the burgeoning COVID-19 case load across the country. Many will take that advice, but others hope to strike a safe balance by getting tested for the virus and following through on gatherings (assuming they test negative, of course). The issue …

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to resurge in the United States, urgent care providers aren’t the only ones at risk of experiencing burnout. Many in the general public have had it with restrictions, isolation, and worry over sick loved ones (or those at risk), with some acting out with hostility toward healthcare workers. A woman in Berks County, PA was arrested recently after intentionally coughing on a nurse in an urgent care center. When the …

People who live in big cities or, for one reason or another, don’t drive still have to go to the doctor now and then. They could call a taxi but in some urban areas it can be a challenge to get one when you need it. And in rural areas, there might not be taxi service at all. That’s why some hospital systems and assisted-living facilities are partnering with Lyft and Uber, going as far …

There’s been much discussion, including public service announcements from the Surgeon General of the United States, of the need to maintain visits for ongoing and acute healthcare concerns in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic. As urgent care operators know, however, patients have stayed away in droves (especially in the early days of the crisis). What may come as news is the fact that patients 65 years of age and over have been most hesitant, especially …

Physicians at a West Coast urgent care chain have voted under the auspices of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists to authorize a strike because they believe they’re forced to work in unsafe conditions. Their complaints are a deficiency in personal protective equipment, combined with long shifts and patient volumes that the doctors say are putting themselves and patients at risk. The company, which operates 27 clinics in California and the state of Washington, …

According to data from Experity, urgent care as a whole has come roaring back from several bleak months at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. However, there are some dire predictions that we could all be in for a second wallop with children returning to school and flu season approaching. Some urgent care operators are taking a hard look at why they suffered so during the first wave—and are taking steps to …

The National Government Services office issued yet another alert from the Department of Health and Human Services. This one concerns a new wave of phishing emails purported to be from the Small Business Administration, seeking private information regarding loan activity. NGS reports that the bogus emails, which spoof SBA’s loan relief webpage, include a malicious link. You can read the list of protective measures NGS advocates here. Ensure your team is aware of this threat, …

If you’ve received a postcard purporting to be from the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), asking you to complete a “mandatory” HIPAA compliance risk assessment, be aware that it’s a fake. There is no such assessment required. National Government Services issued a warning to healthcare professionals to let them know that the URL and phone number included in the text of the postcard actually belong to a nongovernmental website for a group that offers marketing …

There’s a new tactic being employed by people who don’t want to comply with rules on wearing a mask when entering any number of businesses, including urgent care centers. At least one “enterprising” company is even trying to make a buck off the issue, in fact, by producing a bogus “Medical Mask Exemption” card. It states that the bearer “is exempt from face mask usage requirements” and that “wearing a face mask poses a mental …